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DIPLOMACY

Olympic Games 2024: Macron receives Israeli president on Friday

Olympic Games 2024: Macron receives Israeli president on Friday

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni shakes hands with Israeli President Isaac Herzog before meeting at the Palazzo Chigi in Rome on July 25, 2024. (Credit: Alberto Pizzoli/AFP)

French President Emmanuel Macron will host his Israeli counterpart, Isaac Herzog, on Friday as part of his meetings on the sidelines of the Olympics. Macron will reiterate both his commitment to "ensuring the safety of Israeli athletes" and his call for an "immediate cease-fire" in Gaza.

The two leaders are scheduled to meet at 12:00 PM (10:00 AM GMT) at the Élysée Palace, followed by an afternoon reception for over 80 heads of state and government who will then attend the Olympic opening ceremony on the Seine.

President Macron will reaffirm "France's commitment to ensuring the safety of the Israeli delegation's athletes," the Élysée said in a statement on Thursday, as well as Paris' "commitment to Israel's security."

Radical left-wing lawmaker Thomas Portes from La France Insoumise caused controversy by stating that Israeli athletes were "not welcome" due to the ongoing war in Gaza since the unprecedented attack on Israeli soil by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas on Oct. 7.

"Given the unbearable human toll among Gaza's civilian population and the dire humanitarian situation, the President of the Republic will call for an immediate and lasting cease-fire to enable the release of all hostages held by Hamas, including our two compatriots, as well as the massive delivery of medical and humanitarian aid," the statement said.

"The two leaders will also discuss the search for a political solution to the conflict based on the two-state solution to ensure peace and security for all in the region," the French presidency added.

Additionally, on Friday at 11:00 AM (09:00 GMT), Emmanuel Macron will meet his Argentine counterpart, Javier Milei, for a first "working meeting" with the ultraliberal leader, who has sparked multiple diplomatic incidents since his election.

Buenos Aires apologized to France last week for comments made by Vice President Victoria Villarruel, who called Paris "colonialist" and the French "hypocrites" after the controversy surrounding a racist song sung by the Argentine football team players.

During the grand reception, the French president will deliver "a message of peace and tolerance as 10,500 athletes from around the world gather" in Paris, according to the Élysée.

In recent months, Emmanuel Macron has strongly advocated for an "Olympic truce" during the Games, but to no avail. As recently as Monday, before the International Olympic Committee, he expressed his intention to seek "a truce" in "some theaters of war," but no initiatives have materialized since then.

This article was originally published in French in L'Orient-Le Jour

French President Emmanuel Macron will host his Israeli counterpart, Isaac Herzog, on Friday as part of his meetings on the sidelines of the Olympics. Macron will reiterate both his commitment to "ensuring the safety of Israeli athletes" and his call for an "immediate cease-fire" in Gaza.The two leaders are scheduled to meet at 12:00 PM (10:00 AM GMT) at the Élysée Palace, followed by an...